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As Senate debate approaches, partisans step up political high jinks

Volleys of rhetoric, attack advertisements and procedural parries are echoing through Congress's health care debate. Here's a look at some of the latest political jabs.

17 Nov 2009

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announces sale of common stock shares

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it is offering to sell, subject to market and other conditions, 5,000,000 shares of its common stock pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement in an underwritten public offering.

17 Nov 2009

Illinois and Michigan teens honored at 2009 Siemens Competition

Research projects in the areas of biology and mathematics scored top marks this evening, as Marissa Suchyta of South Barrington, Illinois and the team of Randy Jia of Rochester Hills, Michigan and David Lu of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan received the highest honors at the Region Three Finals of the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the nation's premier high school science competition.

17 Nov 2009

MobileHelp allows protected individuals to summon help from anywhere

MobileHelp, America’s premier medical alert system that integrates cellular and GPS technology, allows protected individuals anywhere in the nation to summon help while inside and beyond the home. MobileHelp provides a technology platform that allows families and caregivers to always be in the loop, enabling them to locate loved ones real-time via the Web.

17 Nov 2009

Abortion-Rights groups mobilizing against House health bill restrictions

Abortions-Rights advocates are pressing lawmakers through new ad campaigns to keep a provision restricting abortion coverage in the House-passed health bill -- the so-called Stupak amendment -- out of the Senate health care bill, CBS News reports.

16 Nov 2009

Amid health bill delays and snags, lawmakers target issues

The wait for the Congressional Budget Office score on the Senate health care reform bill has left Senators with time to carefully consider all the angles on reform, The New York Times reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "has already received some substantial analysis of his measure, and if the numbers had been what he wanted, he would have released a bill by now.

16 Nov 2009

Majority Leader still aims to bring health bill to Senate floor next week

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continues to aim to get a health care reform bill to the floor next week, his spokeswoman said Friday, MarketWatch reports. "No date has been set to bring the bill to the floor for debate, she said, adding that Reid wants to bring it up 'as soon as we can.'"

16 Nov 2009

GeckoSystems starts in home evaluation trials for CareBot

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (http://www.geckosystems.com/) announced today that they are starting limited in home evaluation trials for their first product, a personal companion home care robot, the CareBot™.

16 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 13, 2009

On this Friday the 13th, the headlines offer an array of health policy views -- from the possibility of including a Medicare payroll tax in health reform legislation to continuing analysis of the overhaul's winners and losers as well as the CDC's new estimate of the far-reach of the swine flu.

13 Nov 2009

Findings on the use of Traumeel S in children with mucositis undergoing SCT presented

New research findings presented today at the Society for Integrative Oncology's (SIO) Sixth International Conference in New York show promise in assessing the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) using traditional research methods.

13 Nov 2009

Quest Diagnostics intends to offer $750,000,000 senior notes in public offering

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (the "Company") (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, announced today that it intends to offer $750,000,000 in aggregate principal amount in two series of senior notes in a public offering made under a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, subject to market and other conditions.

From Quest Diagnostics 13 Nov 2009

Food summit draft declaration omits hunger eradication deadline, aid commitment

"A declaration to be made at next week's world food summit in Rome will not mention a target to eradicate hunger by 2025 nor a commitment to spend $44 billion a year in agricultural aid, according to a final draft," Reuters reports (Aloisi, 11/12).

13 Nov 2009

Health minister calls for ramped up fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South African health minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Tuesday called for a reinvigorated effort in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, echoing comments recently made by South African President Jacob Zuma, Agence France-Presse reports. Motsoaledi said to reporters, "In 11 years - from 1997 to 2008 - the rate of death has doubled in South Africa" (11/10).

12 Nov 2009

Best Buy stores offer broad selection of health and fitness equipment

New technologies are emerging daily to help people plan, monitor, and enhance their health and fitness activities. Yet finding the ways and the time to stay fit and motivated can seem more complicated than ever before. Starting today, Best Buy customers in select markets from Washington, DC to Denver can turn to the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer for help in satisfying their health and fitness equipment and management needs.

From Garmin 12 Nov 2009

Health overhaul proposals test limits of Democrats' unity

Politico reports that votes on a health care bill are subjecting some Democrats to fierce attacks - from other Democrats. "For some of 39 House Democrats who opposed the bill, there are protests outside their offices and promises of retribution.

11 Nov 2009

Congress urged to consider alternative approaches to workplace leave policies

In testimony today before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families, Elissa O'Brien, SPHR, vice president of human resources for Wingate Healthcare, urged Congress to consider alternative approaches to policies governing workplace leave that reflect the needs of today's workforce.

11 Nov 2009

New microplate for BioFlux live cell imaging workstations

Fluxion Biosciences introduces a new microplate for its BioFlux live cell imaging workstations, extending their shear flow limits to simulate a variety of pathological vascular conditions. With the new High Shear Plate, the BioFlux systems can be an effective tool in thrombosis and platelet studies, cardiovascular and immunological drug screening and cell/bacteria adhesion research.

From Fluxion Biosciences 11 Nov 2009

VeriChip announces the completion of Steel Vault acquisition

VeriChip Corporation, a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, and Steel Vault Corporation, a premier provider of identity security products and services, announced today that VeriChip has completed its acquisition of Steel Vault to provide unique health and security identification tools to protect consumers and businesses. In conjunction with the merger, VeriChip has changed its name to PositiveID ("PositiveID" or the "Company").

11 Nov 2009

1,000 GeckoSystems' CareBots can be produced per month, says a first tier manufacturer

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. announced today that during their first annual "Mobile Robots in Motion" conference last week, a first tier contract manufacturer after viewing numerous demonstrations, examining and discussing GeckoSystems' first product, the CareBot™ is confident that within six months they could produce GeckoSystems' CareBot at the rate of one thousand (1,000) per month.

10 Nov 2009

Shire's INTUNIV for treating ADHD now available in the U.S.

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the availability of INTUNIV(TM) (guanfacine) Extended Release Tablets in pharmacies across the United States for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents ages 6 to 17.

9 Nov 2009